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A young man shot dead in a wooded area outside a TTC station by Toronto Police Sunday night was reportedly a friend of Sammy Yatim, who died at the hands of officers in 2013.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is looking into the shooting, which happened after police were called to the Leslie subway station for a fight around 11 p.m.

Diane Storms, who said she went to school with the dead man’s mother, described him as the second youngest of 10 kids.

She added the man — identified by media outlets as 21-year-old Alex Wettlaufer — wanted to be a military man like his dad, who died “a few years back.”

Wettlaufer was shot in a ravine close to the townhouse complex where he lived.

“He never caused trouble,” Storms said, steps from the family’s home on Adra Villaway, adding that Wettlaufer was on his way back from his girlfriend’s when the shooting took place. “If he didn’t go to work, or be with his girl, he was home.”

Storms also said one of Wettlaufer’s siblings told her he was on his cellphone with his mother right around the time he was shot.

Media reports identified Wettlaufer as a close friend of 18-year-old Yatim, who was shot dead by police as he stood with a knife in hand on a stopped and empty TTC streetcar during the summer of 2013.

James Forcillo, the officer who shot Yatim, has since been found guilty of attempted murder.

Another neighbourhood resident who wished to remain anonymous said Wettlaufer knew Yatim through their days at high school.

Storms said Wettlaufer wanted to eventually get into the military and “get out of (social) housing.”

“It’s hard because you see a lot going on in (social) housing, and when you’re trying to improve yourself, it doesn’t help when you have this stigma of, ‘Oh, you’re in housing, you’re poor, you’re no good.’”

She said Wettlaufer saw a military career as gateway to higher education.

Storms also criticized police, “Before police start taking out their guns and shooting, they should start using Tasers. At least a Taser can’t kill.”

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Man shot dead by Toronto cops Yatim's pal

A young man shot dead outside a TTC
station by Toronto Police Sunday night
was reportedly a friend of Sammy Yatim,
who died at the hands of officers in
2013.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit
is looking into the shooting, which
happened after police were called to
the Leslie subway station for a fight
around 11 p.m.
Diane Storms, who said she went to
school with the dead man’s mother,
described him as the second youngest of
10 kids.
She added the man — identified by media
outlets as 21-year-old Alex Wettlaufer
— wanted to be a military man like his
dad, who died “a few years back.”
Wettlaufer was shot in a ravine close
to the townhouse complex where he
lived.